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Pho in Phoenix: 14 best Vietnamese restaurants for beef noodle soup

GREAT: Pho Thanh | Pho Thanh vs. Da Vang is one of central Phoenix’s never-resolved debates, but at least as far as pho is concerned, I’m casting my lot. The aromatics could use a little boost, but this broth is both full and light, well-balanced and pretty close to ideal with just enough fat to carry the flavor. Thinly sliced tripe joins substantial cuts of beef, big chunks of tender tendon and very good meatballs. Price: $7.95. Details: 1702 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-242-1979. Dominic Armato/The Republic

Best pho in Phoenix at these restaurants

GREAT: Pho Thanh | Pho Thanh vs. Da Vang is one of central Phoenix’s never-resolved debates, but at least as far as pho is concerned, I’m casting my lot. The aromatics could use a little boost, but this broth is both full and light, well-balanced and pretty close to ideal with just enough fat to carry the flavor. Thinly sliced tripe joins substantial cuts of beef, big chunks of tender tendon and very good meatballs. Price: $7.95. Details: 1702 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-242-1979.
Dominic Armato/The Republic

GREAT: 3 Regions Vietnamese Kitchen | Cave Creek isn’t exactly known as a hotbed of Vietnamese cuisine in the Valley, but this newcomer was the dark horse, slinging pho with a robust, beefy base and a clear, deep amber color. Gently-scented and heavy with slivered onion and shallots, this bowl featured some of the best meats of the bunch, including pale pink slices of eye of round, soft tendon, flavorful meatballs and stewed flank that was extremely tender, marbled and almost juicy — a true rarity. Price: $10.95. Details: 28325 N. Tatum Blvd., Cave Creek. 480-219-7254, 3regionsvietnamesekitchen.com. Dominic Armato/The Republic

Best pho in Phoenix at these restaurants

GREAT: 3 Regions Vietnamese Kitchen | Cave Creek isn’t exactly known as a hotbed of Vietnamese cuisine in the Valley, but this newcomer was the dark horse, slinging pho with a robust, beefy base and a clear, deep amber color. Gently-scented and heavy with slivered onion and shallots, this bowl featured some of the best meats of the bunch, including pale pink slices of eye of round, soft tendon, flavorful meatballs and stewed flank that was extremely tender, marbled and almost juicy — a true rarity. Price: $10.95. Details: 28325 N. Tatum Blvd., Cave Creek. 480-219-7254, 3regionsvietnamesekitchen.com.
Dominic Armato/The Republic

GREAT: Pho 602 | Aping a nationwide trend, Pho 602’s signature style includes a whole bone-in short rib, which might be easy to dismiss as a gimmick if it weren’t so tasty. This bowl is seriously robust, with big, beefy depth, further amped up by a huge hunk of tender stewed meat. Notably, Pho 602 isn’t afraid to let some glistening jewels of fat linger on their surface of their broth — anathema to some, perhaps, but it does wonders for the flavor. Price: $11.50. Details: 135 N. 35th Ave., Phoenix. 602-864-5078, facebook.com/Pho602. Dominic Armato/The Republic

Best pho in Phoenix at these restaurants

GREAT: Pho 602 | Aping a nationwide trend, Pho 602’s signature style includes a whole bone-in short rib, which might be easy to dismiss as a gimmick if it weren’t so tasty. This bowl is seriously robust, with big, beefy depth, further amped up by a huge hunk of tender stewed meat. Notably, Pho 602 isn’t afraid to let some glistening jewels of fat linger on their surface of their broth — anathema to some, perhaps, but it does wonders for the flavor. Price: $11.50. Details: 135 N. 35th Ave., Phoenix. 602-864-5078, facebook.com/Pho602.
Dominic Armato/The Republic

GREAT: Khai Hoan | A Tempe institution for decades, Khai Hoan’s inclusion on this list will surprise no one. Though a touch sweet, the pho here is otherwise delicately constructed, a scallion-dense broth with a clean, medium-dark base and an intoxicatingly complex fragrance. The meatballs have a great, springy texture, and tendon fans will be pleased by big, tender chunks with just a little chew. This is a beautifully balanced bowl of pho. Price: $9.50. Details: 1537 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe. 480-829-7118, khaihoanaz.com. Dominic Armato/The Republic

Best pho in Phoenix at these restaurants

GREAT: Khai Hoan | A Tempe institution for decades, Khai Hoan’s inclusion on this list will surprise no one. Though a touch sweet, the pho here is otherwise delicately constructed, a scallion-dense broth with a clean, medium-dark base and an intoxicatingly complex fragrance. The meatballs have a great, springy texture, and tendon fans will be pleased by big, tender chunks with just a little chew. This is a beautifully balanced bowl of pho. Price: $9.50. Details: 1537 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe. 480-829-7118, khaihoanaz.com.
Dominic Armato/The Republic

GOOD: Pho Winglee | The chicken pho may be the star, but Pho Winglee slings a mighty fine beef pho as well. Like its poultry counterpart, the pho bo is almost stark in its simplicity, its clear flavor set apart by unusually good ingredients. Of note, this was one of only two restaurants to offer ngo gai (aka culantro) — a long, saw-edged herb that plays like a crisp cousin of cilantro — and the only one to offer a high-quality fish sauce on the table. Price: $11.99. Details: 111. S. Dobson Road, Mesa. 480-668-1060, facebook.com/phowinglee. Dominic Armato/The Republic

Best pho in Phoenix at these restaurants

GOOD: Pho Winglee | The chicken pho may be the star, but Pho Winglee slings a mighty fine beef pho as well. Like its poultry counterpart, the pho bo is almost stark in its simplicity, its clear flavor set apart by unusually good ingredients. Of note, this was one of only two restaurants to offer ngo gai (aka culantro) — a long, saw-edged herb that plays like a crisp cousin of cilantro — and the only one to offer a high-quality fish sauce on the table. Price: $11.99. Details: 111. S. Dobson Road, Mesa. 480-668-1060, facebook.com/phowinglee.
Dominic Armato/The Republic

GOOD: Pho Binh Minh | Located in a frequently overlooked part of town, Pho Binh Minh boasts a full, well-rounded pho with a star anise scent and a healthy dose of shallot. Its meats weren’t much in the looks department, but they certainly weren’t lacking for flavor. This is a scrappy little bowl whose charms caught me by surprise. Price: $7.75. Details: 4141 N. 35th Ave., Phoenix. 602-358-8255. Dominic Armato/The Republic

Best pho in Phoenix at these restaurants

GOOD: Pho Binh Minh | Located in a frequently overlooked part of town, Pho Binh Minh boasts a full, well-rounded pho with a star anise scent and a healthy dose of shallot. Its meats weren’t much in the looks department, but they certainly weren’t lacking for flavor. This is a scrappy little bowl whose charms caught me by surprise. Price: $7.75. Details: 4141 N. 35th Ave., Phoenix. 602-358-8255.
Dominic Armato/The Republic

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Best pho in Phoenix at these restaurants

GREAT: Pho Thanh | Pho Thanh vs. Da Vang is one of central Phoenix’s never-resolved debates, but at least as far as pho is concerned, I’m casting my lot. The aromatics could use a little boost, but this broth is both full and light, well-balanced and pretty close to ideal with just enough fat to carry the flavor. Thinly sliced tripe joins substantial cuts of beef, big chunks of tender tendon and very good meatballs. Price: $7.95. Details: 1702 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-242-1979.

Who makes the best pho in Phoenix? Our dining critic visited more than 40 pho restaurants and sampled endless pho bowls to find the solid, the good and the great.

Conventional wisdom is a funny thing. We all know which places serve the best pho in town, right?

Maybe, maybe not.

Though the ever-increasing popularity of Vietnam’s essential noodle soup has spawned a small army of Valley pho joints, the local scene has long been dominated by a handful of aging stalwarts.

Some, however, have aged more gracefully than others.

I figured it was time to get a fresh snapshot of the Valley’s pho offerings in 2019, so I visited 40-plus pho restaurants in just under a week.

WATCH: THE HISTORY OF PHO

CLOSE

Get to know the story behind the Vietnamese beef noodle soup and then visit dining.azcentral.com for the 14 best restaurants for pho in Phoenix.
Wochit

What I was looking for

A flavorful, beefy broth. When the cornerstone of your dish is beef broth, it had better taste like beef. I’m looking for clean, pure flavor that doesn’t drift into overdrawn or murky. Pho needn’t be made with beef, but for the purposes of this list, we’re focusing on the most popular style.

Enticing aromatics. When it comes to pho, half of the beauty of a great bowl is in the nose. Ginger, shallot, spice — the balance is what makes different bowls distinct. But a great bowl of pho should be delicious before it even passes your lips.

Ground rules

I ordered pho dac biet (or the closest equivalent thereof) at every restaurant to sample as many traditional elements as possible, and I tasted the soup as served, without adulteration.

As with most foods, I’m in the camp that firmly believes the only correct way to eat pho is however you like it best. But pho is a subtle dish, and I also believe that if you prefer your pho with weapons-grade condiments like hoisin and sriracha, the quality of the soup becomes largely irrelevant.

For the record: My personal jam is a sliver or two of fresh chile, some torn herbs and maybe just a few drops of fish sauce or lime juice if the broth is too thin or too sweet, respectively.

Here’s what I found, listed alphabetically within each tier — the solid, the good and the great. We'll start with critic's favorites.

GREAT BOWLS

3 Regions Vietnamese Kitchen

Cave Creek isn’t exactly known as a hotbed of Vietnamese cuisine in the Valley, but this newcomer was the dark horse, slinging pho with a robust, beefy base and a clear, deep amber color. Gently-scented and heavy with slivered onion and shallots, this bowl featured some of the best meats of the bunch, including pale pink slices of eye of round, soft tendon, flavorful meatballs and stewed flank that was extremely tender, marbled and almost juicy — a true rarity.

Khai Hoan

A Tempe institution for decades, Khai Hoan’s inclusion on this list will surprise no one. Though a touch sweet, the pho here is otherwise delicately constructed, a scallion-dense broth with a clean, medium-dark base and an intoxicatingly complex fragrance. The meatballs have a great, springy texture, and tendon fans will be pleased by big, tender chunks with just a little chew. This is a beautifully balanced bowl of pho.

Pho 602

Pho 602 at Pho 602 in Phoenix.(Photo: Dominic Armato/The Republic)

Aping a nationwide trend, Pho 602’s signature style includes a whole bone-in short rib, which might be easy to dismiss as a gimmick if it weren’t so tasty. This bowl is seriously robust, with big, beefy depth, further amped up by a huge hunk of tender stewed meat. Notably, Pho 602 isn’t afraid to let some glistening jewels of fat linger on their surface of their broth — anathema to some, perhaps, but it does wonders for the flavor.

Pho Thanh

Pho Thanh vs. Da Vang is one of central Phoenix’s never-resolved debates, but at least as far as pho is concerned, I’m casting my lot. The aromatics could use a little boost, but this broth is both full and light, well-balanced and pretty close to ideal with just enough fat to carry the flavor. Thinly sliced tripe joins substantial cuts of beef, big chunks of tender tendon and very good meatballs.

GOOD BOWLS

Angelina’s Pho & Grill & Bar

Don’t let the trendy-looking fusion menu scare you. The pho at Angelina’s could stand to be a little richer, but what makes it compelling is a fragrance and flavor that’s unusually spice-forward, tasting strongly of star anise, cinnamon and black cardamom. Meats have some life, including a nice, peppery meatball.

AZ Pho & Grill

Also on the posher end of the spectrum, AZ Pho & Grill brings a bowl with an intoxicating star anise scent and a lean, flavorful broth. Eye of round that’s still a little rare joins tasty brisket and flank and — at least on my last visit — half an animal’s worth of glorious, chewy tendon.

Pho Binh Minh

Located in a frequently overlooked part of town, Pho Binh Minh boasts a full, well-rounded pho with a star anise scent and a healthy dose of shallot. Its meats weren’t much in the looks department, but they certainly weren’t lacking for flavor. This is a scrappy little bowl whose charms caught me by surprise.

Price: $7.75.

Details: 4141 N. 35th Ave., Phoenix. 602-358-8255.

Pho Winglee

The chicken pho may be the killer dish, but Pho Winglee slings a mighty fine beef pho as well. Like its poultry counterpart, the pho bo is almost stark in its simplicity, its clear flavor set apart by unusually good ingredients. Of note, this was one of only two restaurants to offer ngo gai (aka culantro) — a long, saw-edged herb that plays like a crisp cousin of cilantro — and the only one to offer a high-quality fish sauce on the table.